Evangeline Corridor Initiative

June 12, 6 pm, University Avenue Final Public Meeting (#3)​, Bridge Ministry of Acadiana

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​ Evangeline Corridor Initiative Plan Adopted by ETRT

​The Evangeline Thruway Redevelopment Team (ETRT), at its April 9 meeting, unanimously adopted the Evangeline Corridor Initiative Plan and District Design Manuals.The plan was developed after Lafayette City-Parish Government won a federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant. The LCG TIGER Grant was rebranded as the Evangeline Corridor Initiative (ECI) and a team of ECI consultants recently completed planning work.​

Below are weblinks for the entire ECI Plan and its individual components.

As the I-49 Connector is planned and built, the Evangeline Thruway and Lafayette's oldest neighborhoods are facing change. The Evangeline Corridor Initiative (ECI) for revitalization supports collaboration and engagement with the people who know the area best — those who live and work there.

Through the efforts of the ECI and with much public input, proposed neighborhood revitalization plans were unveiled at an Open House on Thursday, June 8. Evangeline Corridor residents and business owners along with the general public, provided yet another round of feedback on the proposedcatalyst projects -- improvements with the potential to enhance the quality of life and spark investment. Open House attendees previewed the Evangeline Corridor planning work and District Design Manuals in addition to information about catalyst projects. A 6-by-9 foot map was available as a visual aid to show potential locations of the catalyst projects.Prior to the Open House, community members who live and work in the Corridor hosted "Meetings in a Box" to help evaluate potential catalyst projects

For more information, contact Neil LeBouef, ECI Project Manager, via phone at (337) 291-7196, by email at nlebouef@lafayettela.gov, or online at LafayetteLA.gov.

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Meetings in a Box

During the month of May, residents and business owners organized small group meetings to evaluate and prioritize the Catalyst Projects designed for their neighborhoods. “Meeting in a Box” kits — meeting materials and instructions — were provided by LCG and meeting hosts guided participants through the prioritization process. For questions about the process, contact Neil LeBouef, ECI Project Manager, via phone at (337) 291-7196, by email at nlebouef@lafayettela.gov.

Last year, architects, designers and planners helped residents along the Evangeline Corridor visualize the changes they want for their neighborhoods. These changes included: walkable streets and bike paths, covered bus stops, grocery stores and open-air markets, shopping, dining and entertainment options, and more.

Residents and business owners are asked to help prioritize those suggested improvements. Based on community input, Lafayette Consolidated Government (LCG), through the Evangeline Corridor Initiative (ECI), has identified approximately 40 catalyst projects throughout the Corridor. These projects are identified as catalysts because of their potential to revitalize the area and spark investment. The Corridor includes neighborhoods along and adjacent to the planned I-49 Connector.

The Evangeline Thruway Redevelopment Team hosted a series of workshops regarding neighborhood strengths and challenges this spring and is seeking comments regarding the resulting District Workshop Reports until Friday, July 29.

If you wish to submit a public comment regarding the District Workshop Reports or the Evangeline Corridor Initiative generally, please email ETRT@lafayettela.gov or fill out an ECI Public Comment Card and mail or email to the listed address.The reports are available for download below.

The Evangeline Thruway Redevelopment Team (ETRT) was formed by the Corridor Preservation and Management Action Plan to Preserve the I-49 Alignment (Action Plan) and is a committee of the Lafayette City-Parish Council. The ETRT is composed of 15 members appointed by several organizations as outlined in the Action Plan.

Regularly scheduled meetings of the ETRT are held on the second Monday of every month (except holidays) at noon. Please check the LCG Calendar for ETRT meeting announcements and agendas.

In 2014, LCG was awarded a U.S. Department of Transportation TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Federal Planning Grant to plan for the Interstate 49 Connector Corridor. The goals of the grant are to:

Detailed preliminary plans for infrastructure improvements that promote connectivity, provide for alternate modes of transit, and drive economic development (in conjunction with new land use designations). This would also include public plazas and linear green space.

New land-use designations geared toward buffering areas surrounding the facility, driving economic development, and transitioning the area to a functional urban character.

Development of a funding plan to facilitate and effectuate implementation of the new corridor plan, including the identification of at least one catalyst project in each identified planning district.

The TIGER grant was later branded as the Evangeline Corridor Initiativeto be representative of and reflect the local area where its planning efforts are to be focused.

The Evangeline Corridor Initiative (ECI) is about neighborhood revitalization planning alongside the future I-49 Connector - what we currently know as the Evangeline Thruway.

Our mission encourages community input to make the plans - and ultmiately the corridor - the best it can be.